Using Pinterest for Sharing Collections (Dani Fazio)

USING

TO SHARE COLLECTIONS

DANI FAZIOCREATIVE MANAGER, MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

WHAT IS ?Pinterest is a visual discovery tool.

Pinterest is the fastest growing social media platform.

“Pinterest users can upload, save, sort and manage images, known as pins, and other media content (e.g. videos) through collections known as pinboards.” - Warner Spencer, Melanie (August 11, 2011). "Pinning: These are a few of my favorite things". Hearst Communications.

“Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing the things that inspire you…

“No matter what you’re interested in, there’s a place for it here…”- about.pinterest.com

STARTING OUTTake the time… o Set up a Business Accounto Include your organization’s logoo Don’t use personal information…organization info only!

Think sustainability… o Who will maintain the site?o How often can you pin? o Short-term and long-term goals?

WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? banners

WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? banners

WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW?

WHO: Existing audience, new audience & organization staff WHAT: A social media platform that will help you provide public access

to your collections WHEN: You can start anytime, but use a plan. Only begin using

Pinterest when you can dedicate time to maintaining it. WHERE: Pinterest is a web platform, so you can work on it virtually

anywhere. Pinterest users are global. WHY: Your organization has fantastic collections. Share them with the

world! Generate dialogue about your collections, direct traffic to your websites, and collaborate with others.

HOW: Make a plan, choose staff/volunteers, set up your account, maintain the site, and follow these do’s and don’t, tip’s and tricks!

MUSEUMS ON

One surprising industry that has jumped on the

[Pinterest] bandwagon is that of museums. Several

of these venerable cultural institutions have proven

themselves masters of Pinterest’s social media

world. Museums of all kinds and sizes have created

profiles, and they're finding creative ways to bring

their programs to an online audience.

• See 8 Museums to Follow on Pinterest

DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS

DO Use strong imagery Use humor (but good

grammar) Make a pinning plan Link your Pinterest page to

your other social media platforms; make a Pinterest announcement in your newsletter

Follow lots of other organizations

DON’Tx Use boring images

x Use overly complex language

x Pin willy-nilly

x Flood the pinboards

(i.e. pinning a lot of material all at one time)

x Keep your Pinterest page a secret!

DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS

DO Be copyright savvy;

share only what you have rights to

Share low-res, watermarked images

Include website links to the material, collection information, and/or object IDs

DON’Tx Use images you don’t have permission to share publicly

x Use high-res, non-watermarked images that will be easy to steal

x Share sensitive or offensive material

x Repin material without knowing the source

Government agency? Using Pinterest for Government Use. Click on the Powerpoint for The National Archives on Pinterest.

DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS

DO Make several pinboards to

organize your pins Have boards that appeal to

different audiences Use tags and language to

generate search results Spy on your neighbors

(e.g., check out what other organizations are pinning, how they are organizing. Keep up with trends from those in your field.)

DON’Tx Pin without a destination (board)

x Have pinboards titles that only reflect your collections (e.g., The Weston Collection Board)

x Pin without any information or searchable terms

x Get overwhelmed; take a break when needed.

DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS

DO Search for pins with your

organization’s name or identifiers—comment or encourage folks to follow you

Thank people who re-pin your pins, use their @name

“Like” pins from other organizations and users, follow them

Tell your staff about Pinterest; encourage them to share collection material worth pinning!

Track your website metrics and see how Pinterest is referring traffic to your site

DANI’S DOS AND DON’TS

DO Use Pinterest to share

products that you sell. Include links and include a price in the description

Play to your strengths! Curate your material in a way that reflects your mission and values

Revisit your initial Pinterest plan: is it working? Make changes if needed.

Search the web for more tips and tricks

Reach out for help when needed

BOARD TIPS & TRICKSCREATE BOARDS THAT FOLLOW THE TRENDS

The top 10 most popular categories are listed below:

Home (17.2%)Arts and Crafts (12.4%)Style/Fashion (11.7%)Food (10.5%)Inspiration/Education (9.0%)Holidays/Seasonal (3.9%)Humor (2.1%)Products (2.1%)Travel (1.9%)Kids (1.8%)

Use an eye-catching image as the board cover…Remember, Pinterest is entirely image-focused!

Don’t create too many or too few boards… See what your peers are doing.

Commit to a new board only when you have enough material to fill it.

BOARD EXAMPLES: MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Showcasing the many faces of MHS

BOARD EXAMPLES

Maine Historical Society

Deerfield Area Historical Society

Contemporary Jewish Museum

U.S. National Archives Harvard Art Museums

THANK YOU!

Dani Fazio, Creative ManagerMaine Historical SocietyPortland, Mainewww.MaineHistory.org

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ORIGINALLY PRESENTED AT THE NEW ENGLAND ARCHIVISTS CONFERENCE, MARCH 22, 2014

Find this PowerPoint on slideshare.net

HELPFUL RESOURCES http://www.amyporterfield.com/2012/06/the-10-commandments-o

f-using-pinterest-for-business/

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31147/The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Mastering-Pinterest-for-Marketing.aspx

http://mashable.com/2011/12/26/pinterest-beginners-guide/ http://blog.rjmetrics.com/2012/03/12/new-pinterest-data-whats-ev

eryone-pinning-about/#.UoUmDpRgZYg

http://mashable.com/2014/02/06/pinterest-artificial-pinners/ http://mashable.com/2014/01/29/pinterest-museums/ http://www.pinterest.com/nolandhoshino/nonprofits-on-pinterest/ http://posterityproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/archives-interest-in-

pinterest.html